The invention relates generally to a metering system for agricultural products and, more particularly, a fan for driving a shaft and/or alternator in an agricultural product distribution system.
A range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presently in use for tilling, planting, harvesting, and so forth. Seeders, for example, are commonly towed behind tractors and may cover wide swaths of ground which may be tilled or untilled. Such devices typically open the soil, dispense seeds in the soil opening, and re-close the soil in a single operation. Seeders may include an air cart and a drill. For example, seeds in seeders are commonly dispensed from bulk seed tanks and distributed to row units by a distribution system. In certain configurations, air carts are towed behind drills to deliver a desired flow of seeds to the row units.
Air carts generally include a seed storage tank, a fan, a metering assembly, and a filling mechanism. The seeds are typically gravity fed from the storage tank to the metering assembly that distributes a desired volume of seeds into an air stream generated by the fan. Air then carries the seeds to the soil via conduits extending between the air cart and the drill. The metering assembly typically includes meter rollers or other metering devices that regulate the flow of seeds based on meter roller geometry and rotational speed.